This invention relates to documents management in general, and in particular to an improved documents management technique using a collection of searchable binders.
In medical records, legal and business offices, and some homes, notebook binders (hereinafter “binders”) are typically used to store documents used for medical, legal, other business and personal purposes. A typical binder has a front cover, a rear cover and a spine joining the two covers. Inside the binder, a multi-ring manually operable binder mechanism having two or more two-piece arcuate rings is permanently mounted to facilitate insertion, storage and removal of documents having a number of holes formed along a mounting edge, with the number of holes corresponding to the number of rings of the binder mechanism. Each binder is typically removably supported on a shelf by placing the bottom edges of the binder covers and spine of a closed binder on the top surface of the supporting shelf. Several binders are typically installed on a given shelf, and several shelves are typically incorporated into a shelf support structure, such as a cabinet. In order to enable the documents contained in the various binders to be readily accessed, some type of documents management system is necessary.
Documents management is typically performed by binder management. Each document is initially assigned to, and placed in, an identified binder dedicated to documents of a particular subject matter (e.g., “utility bills for a specific account”). Later-generated related documents are typically assigned to and placed in this same binder. When a binder is filled to capacity by documents, a new binder is provided for receiving additional documents of the same category.
Binder management is typically conducted by providing each binder with a label in a location (usually somewhere on the spine of the binder) in which the label is visible when the binder is stored on a shelf. The label contains readable information describing the content of the binder. The readable information is typically a short form of identification, such as an account name, a subject name (e.g., “Bank Statements”) or the like.
In order to provide ready access to the individual documents contained in the binders, some type of indexing arrangement is normally used to identify the location of each binder. A simple technique commonly employed is a manually prepared master list of all binders in the binder management system referencing each binder by the label information and noting the shelf and cabinet location of each binder. In large installations, more sophisticated indexing arrangements are used, such as a computer-based index listing all binders by a short form identifier and a corresponding enlarged and more thorough description of the binder contents. Even such computer-based arrangements still require the use of a readable label on each binder in order to identify a given binder to a user. This is highly undesirable, since it facilitates the search by any unauthorized user for a specific binder name or for a binder containing information of a particular type. Nevertheless, known binder management systems require the use of visible labels in order for the binders to be reasonably locatable.
In those applications in which several individuals have access to the binders, some arrangement is usually made to monitor the disposition of the binders. For example, in a business application, it is convenient and sometimes necessary to provide a sign out and return procedure so that the whereabouts of a given binder will always be known. Usually, such monitoring attempts fail to accurately track the binders because of the failure of individuals to faithfully follow the procedure. Consequently, at any given time, the integrity of the binder management system can only be verified by actually looking through each shelf and comparing the binders and their contents with the master index. This requirement is both time-consuming and burdensome, and thus a severe disadvantage.
In known binder management systems of the type described above, once a binder is provided with a contents identifier, that binder is permanently associated with the nature of its contents. To change the contents to some other category, the binder must either be thrown away and a new, unmarked binder substituted in its place, or the identification label must be changed. In addition, the master index must be up-dated, either manually or by using the computer in a computer-based indexing system. These procedures are not always followed by office personnel, and the integrity of the binder system is consequently compromised.
In all examples of known binder management systems, the binders are usually provided with some type of human readable or machine readable identification indicia, such as the label affixed to the spine of each binder. In more sophisticated systems, a computer is used to assist in keeping track of the binders. When a binder is removed from the usual location, some procedure is typically available to note the fact that that binder has been removed from its normal location. This procedure normally relies on either manual entry of the change into the system computer by an operator, or the use of label reading devices (e.g., bar code readers) to enter the information into the system computer. Unfortunately, not all users follow the binder tracking procedure faithfully and the result is that many binders can be missing from their assigned shelf positions at any given time.
A further disadvantage with known binder management systems lies in the fact that it is unnecessarily time-consuming to visually locate a sought binder even if that binder is in its proper location. The user must visually scan the spine label of each binder on a given shelf in a given cabinet until the sought binder is visually identified by the label information. If the sought binder has been previously misplaced on the wrong shelf of the same cabinet, the user must then visually scan all binders on the other shelves of that same cabinet until the sought binder is visually identified. If, after visually scanning all binders on all shelves of the same cabinet, the sought binder has not been found the user has no other recourse than to continue the visual scanning process on binders on shelves in the other cabinets in the binder storage area until the sought binder is located or all binders on all shelves of all cabinets in the binder storage area have been visually scanned and the sought binder has still not been located.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,717,143 issued May 6, 2014 (hereinafter the '143 patent) discloses a searchable binder suitable for use in a binder management system which is devoid of the above-noted disadvantages and which enables quick and efficient location of binders In a document management system. More particularly, the binder management system has a cabinet with shelves for removable storage of searchable binders. Each binder has a body with front and rear covers and a spine. Inside the body is a binder mechanism for removably retaining sheet media. Each binder has externally extending upper and lower ohmic contact members which ohmically engage conductive members mounted on the shelf surfaces near the front when a binder is installed on a cabinet shelf. Each binder has a binder identification circuit coupled to an LED mounted on the binder spine in a location visible when the binder rests on a shelf. When a binder identification signal from a host computer is presented to the shelf conductive members it is transferred by the binder contact members to the binder identification circuit. If the binder identification signal matches a code stored in the binder identification circuit, the LED is activated to aid the user in finding the binder. An LED and an optional audible indicator are mounted on the shelves to further aid the user in finding the sought binder.
While the searchable binder described above represents a substantial improvement in the field of binder management systems, use thereof is limited to a binder management system having one or more cabinets provided with the conductive members mounted on the shelf surfaces near the front with which the upper and lower externally extending binder ohmic contact members can ohmically engage when a binder is installed on a given shelf. This unnecessarily limits the type of storage unit in which the searchable binder can be installed. In the past, ordinary binders have been stored in file cabinet drawers for future access. While searchable binders of the type described above can be physically stored in conventional file cabinet drawers, the search function will not be operable since the conventional file cabinet drawers do not have the structure required to transfer binder identification signals to the binder identification circuit in the searchable binder. This absence of the search function eliminates the advantages afforded by searchable binders.
Document management systems are known which provide a search function for documents removably contained in file folders. One example of such a document management system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,525,674 issued Sep. 3, 2013 for “Collective Objects Management System With Object Identification Using Addressable Decoder Units”, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. The system disclosed in the '674 U.S. patent uses addressable decoder units to maintain control of all file folders in a collection. Each file folder has an associated addressable decoder unit (like the binder identification circuit) with a unique address in the file folder management system which responds to the receipt of that unique address from a source. The source is a local encoder in the file cabinet containing the addressed file, which generates the unique address in response to the receipt of a file folder identification signal from a remote host computer. Each file folder also has an indicator coupled to the decoder unit for identifying the file to a human operator. The indicator is preferably a visible indicator—such as an LED—coupled to the file folder in a convenient location which can readily be seen by a human operator when a file drawer is opened. Alternatively, an audible indicator—such as a buzzer—can be used.
Each file drawer has a plurality of mutually electrically isolated electrically conductive paths, at least one of which can receive address signals supplied by the source and specifying a sought file folder. The file folders positioned in the file drawers each has a plurality of electrically conductive members, each of which is electrically coupled to a different one of the plurality of mutually electrically isolated electrically conductive paths, an address decoder circuit carried by the file folder in the drawer, the address decoder circuit having a unique system address, the address decoder circuit further having a plurality of electrically conductive terminals in electrical contact with the plurality of electrically conductive members, and an indicator, such as a visible indicator (e.g., an LED) coupled to the address decoder circuit for activation whenever the address decoder circuit detects an address signal present on at least one of the plurality of electrically conductive members and representative of the unique system address of that file folder.
Each file cabinet includes an encoder for generating the address signals, the encoder having at least one input terminal for receiving file folder identification signals from a host computer, at least one output terminal coupled to each address decoder circuit of the plurality of file folders, and circuitry for generating a signal representative of the unique system address of the file folder specified by the file folder identification signals from the host computer.
Each file folder has a pair of support braces, with one of the support braces containing the plurality of electrically conductive members. The address decoder circuit and the indicator of each of the file folders are carried by one of the two support braces of each file folder.
The file folder drawer has a front panel with an additional indicator mounted thereon; and the system further includes circuitry for operating the additional indicator whenever an address decoder circuit located in the file folder drawer detects an address signal present on the at least one of the plurality of electrically conductive members and representative of the unique system address of that address decoder.
Each address decoder circuit includes circuitry for generating a VALID signal whenever that address decoder circuit detects an address signal present on the at least one of the plurality of electrically conductive members and representative of the unique system address of that address decoder circuit.
A microcomputer located in the file cabinet supplies power signals to the plurality of file folders via some of the electrically conductive paths, and address signals via the at least one of the electrically conductive paths; and receives VALID signals generated by each address decoder circuit when an incoming address matches a given address decoder circuit system address. The microcomputer also includes circuitry for generating information signals identifying the location in the system of any address decoder circuit which generates a VALID signal. These information signals are transmitted back to the host computer for the purpose of file folder management.